Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My honourable friend the Minister of State (Andy Burnham) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	As recommended by Ofcom in its report of January 2006 into the price of making telephone calls to hospital patients, the department set up a patient power review group (PPRG) in February 2006 to explore how communication services could be offered to hospital patients with a lower per minute price for incoming calls. The PPRG's report will be published today.
	The patient power review group has considered:
	all aspects of the charging structure;the requirement to install, with limited clinical exceptions, units at every bedside within a hospital site, irrespective of use;the requirement to offer services through a combined unit, offering television and telephone and capable of offering added value services; andthe need to clarify guidance on use of mobile phones in hospitals.
	The department welcomes this comprehensive report, which sets out the complexity of the issues raised by Ofcom and remains committed to giving patients more choice and control over their environment.
	Consequently, the department will continue to work with the suppliers to look at how changes can be made to deliver benefits to patients, their families and the NHS from these systems. It will relax the licensing arrangements from February 2007, removing the constraints identified by Ofcom for new contracts, and issue guidance that clarifies where mobile phones can be used in hospitals without infringing patient privacy and dignity.
	Copies of the PPRG's report and the department's response have been placed in the Library and are available on the department's website at: www.dh.dov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/EstatesAndFacilitiesManagement/fs/en.